Edinburgh Fringe 2015
The Animotion Show
Presented by Aurora Nova
Genre: Music, Outdoor and Promenade, Performance Art
Venue: George Heriot's School Quad
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A feast of images and sound with virtuoso solo percussionist Evelyn Glennie and acclaimed Russian visual artist Maria Rud in the quad of a beautiful 17th century building.
Review
Lights, music and painting – all at once – in the Quad of the beautiful 17th century George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, Scotland. This outdoor show comprises the music of renowned virtuoso professional solo percussionist – and Dame – Evelyn Glennie and acclaimed Russian visual artist Maria Rud, with projections by Ross Ashton. As night falls the quad comes alive with the rhythmic and fascinating sounds from Glennie as she works her huge array of percussion instruments. They are all laid out under a long canopy and she may only play one instrument for several minutes, exploring all rhythms and nuances. Rud paints to the music and creates huge dramatic iconic images which are projected onto the immense back wall of the quad.
The audience members stand, sit or move around watching Glennie and Rud closely as they create astonishingly beautiful art together. It’s a unique experience to have two artists of this calibre collaborating in such a historic setting. They have great chemistry and relate to each other with brief eye contact as they create almost non-stop for an hour or so. Pausing briefly to change instruments and clear the painting surface Glennie and Rud then begin a new image and sound creation – the paintings develop in front of our eyes, animated as Rud adds touches of colour, tree branches or transforms a current pattern into something completely different. It’s magical and wondrous! An elaborate architectural setting adds to the shape and shadows and inspires textural imagery – and this building offers romantic high turrets and intricate window decoration that Rud uses to the maximum.
Rud is surrounded by twenty palettes or more. Each one has a combination of multi coloured paint, ready for the next creation. At one point Glennie leaves her area to work closer to Rud as she plays a special huge gong type of instrument in the centre of the quad – the sound echoes around the building eerily and faintly and crescendos slowly, it’s a fascinating sound and Rud responds to it through changes of speed and strokes of her brush and the resulting image.
Colourful imaginative projections by Ross Ashton play in between giving a contrasting whimsical atmosphere. Rebecca Tavener, David Heath and DJ Dolphin Boy will join Maria and Evelyn on the 28th and 29th of August. It’s a mesmerising and visceral show!